To date, many tests have been conducted which prove the feasibility of the use of an arc saw in cutting a variety of electrically conductive materials. Certain of such tests have been conducted in ambient air and with other atmospheres such as an argon atmosphere. Moreover, such tests have been conducted with and without cooling of the arc saw itself.
Under some circumstances, it is desirable to collect the residue resulting from the cutting of a workpiece by a rotary arc saw. The reason for this is to prevent or to minimize atmosphereic contamination and to collect the residue. This is extremely important when the residue may be pyrophoric or imposes other hazards, such as atmospheric contamination.
It is thus desirable to cut such materials under a liquid bath in some circumstances. However, some materials, such as reactive metals, may be difficult to arc saw under such circumstances since the combination of arcing under the surface of a liquid could cause formation of hydrogen when water-based coolants are considered. Thus, a need has arisen for a safer way to perform an arc sawing operation yet to permit the collection of the residue in a manner such that there is substantially no atmospheric or other contamination.